Posted by admin on Aug 10, 2015 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on How to Restore Documents & Books After a Flood

If you experience a flood or water damage your home, then you probably want to save as many of your belongings as possible. If some of these belongings are books and important documents, then you will need to clean them and dry them off. This requires a careful process, so follow the tips below. Before You Begin Before you start collecting your books to save them, you should understand that the flood waters that enter your home may contain a number of potentially dangerous materials. Fecal matter is one of these things. The material comes from the animal waste left outside your home and the water easily picks it up. This material often contains certain types of bacteria that can make you ill such as Streptococci and E. coli. Along with potentially dangerous bacteria, flood water may also contain agricultural runoff that is full of pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. These materials are likely to contain a great deal of harmful chemicals, nitrates, phosphorous, salts, and metals. Industrial runoff that contains byproducts from the manufacturing process may enter flood waters too. This means that you need to protect yourself properly before you start drying out or cleaning your books and documents. A pair of rubber gloves and some rubber goggles will work well for protection. You can also wear a respirator or dust mask if you feel like your lungs need protection as well. Start the Cleaning Process Freeze Items Once you have fully protected yourself will safety gear, start by figuring out which items need to be dried out in a timely manner. Important documents like birth certificates, home insurance documents, house deeds, legal documents, tax returns, and recent pay stubs are a few items that should be saved right away. The rest of the paperwork and the books should be wrapped in clean towels, placed in plastic freezer bags, and set in the freezer. The water will move to the exterior of the book or document. Some of the water will sublimate if your freezer is cold enough. Much of the fluid will move to the absorbent towel though and freeze the fabric. You can remove the document or book two or three weeks later. At this time, place it in a 150 to 200 degree Fahrenheit oven on a foil covered baking sheet. Check the book or document every 15 or 20 minutes to see if it is dry. Rinsing Techniques Once you have separated your books and documents, rinse the items you want to save right away. If an item is delicate, like one placed on drafting, tissue, rice, newspaper or another thin type of paper, then set it on a towel and lightly spray it with water to clean it off. Writing, sketching, and stock computer papers are a bit sturdier and can be dipped in a bucket of cool water to clean them. You can use water from your faucet for this purpose as well. If you are concerned about the presence of fecal bacteria or other microorganisms on the paper, then consider adding about one-eighth of a cup of bleach to a five gallon bucket filled with water. Allow the papers or books to sit in the bleach solution for about a minute before you rinse them with cool water. The bleach should not damage the paper documents, because pulp...

Unfortunately, books are often the belongings that are compromised during a fire. If you have a fine collection of books, the flames, smoke, and water will leave them in a depressing state. However, in some cases, you can save your books if you act quickly. If your books are dry… Then you are in luck. it is easier to stop fire damage on books that have been wet. Your first instinct may be to get a cloth and begin cleaning the soot off the covers. However, this should not be your first step. Soot and smoke residue from fires is extremely acidic, and getting it wet can actually make their damaging ability worse. So, begin by first using a dry cloth to wipe off the extra soot. Then, mix water with a little bit of dish detergent, and wet a soft cloth. Wring it out completely and then begin to wipe the books off. Pay special attention to the spine of the books, and tops, as these are most likely to have had the most exposure to smoke; books stacked on a bookshelf protect each other from being contaminated too badly. After wiping with a samp cloth, wipe with a dry cloth to remove as much water as possible. Allow the covers of the books to dry. If your books have leather covers or bindings, you will need to be more careful. Leather is porous, so smoke can really penetrate the fibers of the leather. Resist the urge to scrub the leather, even if it still smells of smoke after being wiped. Do not lay leather in the sun to dry, as this will cause it to stiffen. When the water has dried, you can treat the leather bindings with a little bit of tanning oil made for leather goods to protect the fibers against further damage from acidic smoke. If your books are wet… You have a longer task ahead of you. If your books were damaged by water used to put out the fire, your first task is to dry them out. Still wipe the cover and spines with soap water, and dry them, to remove as much lingering soot as you can. Then, you’ll need to work on getting the moisture out. You need to make sure that pages are separated carefully. You can do this by putting dry sheets of newspaper in between the wet pages, or by sprinkling a dry substance, like cornstarch, to help soak up the extra water. Then, you need to prevent your pages from wrinkling as they dry. You can do this by pressing and plying the pages, and by using fans to dry each page separately. If the pages themselves have smoke damage… You can attempt to repair the damage yourself, but the process is arduous. If your books are especially valuable, it is better to entrust this process to a fire damage restoration company. However, minor smoke can be repaired if you follow these steps: Never get the pages wet. This will set in smoke stains. Use a sponge to wipe away mild smoke. If stains do not come out, you can try using a gum moldable art eraser on the marks. Wipe off any remaining residue with a dry cloth. If the eraser method does not work, the...

If you have had an accidental fire in your home, then you are likely devastated by the damage. You also probably want to get back into your home as quickly as possible. Fire damage restoration contractors can help you with the clean up and the rebuilding of your home. Restoration professionals cannot enter your house immediately after a fire though, due to safety concerns and other issues. There are many things that you need to do as a homeowner before the professionals can start the cleaning process. Keep reading to learn what two of these things are, so you can start living in your house again. Make Sure Electricity is Shut Off When a fire occurs in the home, firefighters respond to the incident and put out the fire as quickly as they can. When the professionals are on the scene, they will often make sure that utilities are shut off properly so that water damage and new fires are prevented. Electricity may be shut off at the main breaker. However, main and secondary breakers can both become damaged during a fire. Arcing will then occur when heat overloads the circuits and the components will often melt. The breakers no longer function at this point. This may mean that electrical current can still flow from the main line to the electrical wires in the home. Insulation on electrical wires may also have melted away during the fire and this may allow current to flow outside of the damaged wiring. These issues along with the water within the home can cause an electrocution concern for fire restoration workers. Contact the Electric Company The best way to avoid electrical issues is to contact your electric company so the main electrical line can be pulled from your home. The connections from the electrical wires that run to your circuit box are located inside your electric meter. An electrician will be dispatched to your home and the small security tag will be released from the box. The electric meter will then be pulled outward to remove the sockets that connect the electricity. Removing your home from the electrical grid is not a difficult task, but it can be dangerous. Do not attempt to do it yourself. Not only can you electrocute yourself, but it may actually be illegal to tamper with the electrical meter. Remove Water Firefighters often use several thousand gallons of water to extinguish a fire in an average sized home. A great deal of this water is often left within the building once the fire has been properly dealt with. Most fire restoration experts know this and they will spend several days removing the water before any cleaning or restoration can be completed. Water removal is extremely important, because it reduces damage that may occur due to the presence of mold and mildew. The fungi growth can greatly increase the scope of the repairs that are needed. If restoration workers are scheduled to start work on your home, then make sure to start removing water before the professionals arrive. Pumping Standing Fluids If there are several inches or a few feet of water in your home, then you will need to use a submersible pump to remove the water. A utility pump is a good choice if the water is clean inside your home. If the water...

After a fire or flood, you might find yourself not knowing which way to turn. There is so much to repair that you end up with no idea where or how to start. I know, because I've been through both. One home burned down in an accidental fire five years ago, another flooded during a severe storm two years ago.
Those were tough experiences, and it took a long time to rebuild. I'm using this blog to share my experiences to help others who find themselves in the same boat. I'll talk about how to find great damage contractors and how to do DIY repairs and restorations as well. It will be hard, but you can restore or recreate your home after a disaster.